Someone to Hold You Close
by Woman at Arms
Summary: Kanda met Allen once before he came to the Order. This is the story of the kid that helped him one Christmas night. Yullen oneshot.


_**Disclaimer: I don't own Man**_

* * *

><p>The snow felt ice cold against his burning injuries. He watched the melted red dyed drops fall to the ground, tainting the monochrome landscape, he himself being a scratch of white, black and red.<p>

It hurt, unbelievable so, he didn't care, though, he wouldn't die. He had to go on, for better or worse. But that didn't stop him from resting against a wall in the dark alley; he would go for his next mission next morning when the wounds were mostly healed.

When the pain became a dull ache, he closed his eyes, prepared to fall into oblivion for a few hours. He didn't hear the hurried steps coming his way nor the childish voice until someone started to shake him and speak by his ear.

"I'll help you! Don't die!"

Tiredly, he parted his eyes to glance at the white mop of hair moving in front of him. Maybe he had heard wrong, it was an old man. He closed them again, he would go soon enough.

"Speak to me, don't fall asleep."

A small hand took hold of his right arm, letting go soon after with a gasp. Kanda still was clutching Mugen with what was left of his strength. A moment later he felt a gentle touch peel his fingers one by one from the handle. Maybe he was weaker than he thought for he didn't fight, but actually found himself feeling comfort in the warm hands.

"What… are you doing?" he rasped, his voice merely a whisper.

"Helping you. Were you injured by debris in that recent fight?"

Kanda gave a chuckle that transformed into coughs. He probably was referring to the akuma he fought before. He opened his eyes once again to watch how his companion took bandages out of his backpack and crouched beside him at his right to take a look at his injured arm. Kanda realized he was a kid not older than 12 years and snow white air.

Felling observed he lifted his gaze to stare at Kanda with silvery round eyes. He smiled friendly.

"What is your name?" he asked returning his attention to his task.

"…" Kanda didn't answer, maybe that way he would feel offended and leave.

"Well, you can call me Al." The boy couldn't take a hint. He fumbled a bit with the bandage in his arm and finally tied it, nodding in approbation of his work. Then he moved to face Kanda. "The blood will get in your eye, I'll clean it."

Kanda could see the hand clutching cotton slowly approaching his face, and finding strength in his left arm he lifted it and held the wrist centimeters before it could touch his brow.

The boy stopped, surprised eyes staring back at his dark ones. A polite smile made its way to Al's face, as if asking permission to continue. Kanda surprised himself once again by letting go of the wrist, succumbing to the look in those eyes full of grief.

"It will sting a little, I'm sorry," he said before pressing the alcohol drenched cotton in the cut across his brow.

'_Why do you apologize? It's not as if you could help it…'_

Kanda closed his eyes while the kid cleaned the blood off his face, unthinkingly leaning into the gloved hand holding his cheek. He missed the soft smile in Al's face.

Too soon the cotton was retired from his face, and after a plaster was settled upon his cut, the gentle hand also disappeared.

He slowly lifted his eyelids and found the boy crouched between his parted legs removing what was left of his shirt and inspecting his chest, all notions of personal space forgotten. Kanda couldn't care to be surprised anymore at his docility to this boy.

The Japanese could tell when the warm air caressing his skin stilled as Al saw the long and ratter deep red gash marring the ivory, though he didn't take long to compose himself and fetch longer bandages from his backpack. His short arms came to surround Kanda in almost embraces as he wrapped the cloth over and over again.

"Did you hit your head?" he asked as he tied the end of the bandage, the small hands then going up to shake off the snow that was slowly pilling on top of Kanda's hair.

Kanda didn't find it as an intrusion and almost wished for the arms to come even closer and hug him. Kanda's hair wasn't off limits just for tonight.

"I'm… fine…" he muttered, leaning his head back, looking up and away from those concerned eyes that threatened to make him break.

"You are cold."

The hands were now over his ears, unfreezing them, a ticklish sensation going about his head. When they left him, he felt Al shrug off his coat, then arms where around his neck, a head buried in his shoulder and the large coat on top of the two's form.

"What are you doing?" he asked even as his head came to rest on top of the other's.

"Body heat, you are freezing," came the muttered answer warm against his neck.

"I… I'm going to be okay… you don't need to…"

"But I want to," the arms around him tightened and Kanda winced when it applied pressure to his wounds. "Sorry, did it hurt?"

Kanda shook his head, somehow wanting to reassure the kid. "Today is Christmas… Your family must be waiting for you…"

"Not anymore…" his voice was so soft that Kanda wondered if he was supposed to hear that. "Master is probably drunk in some bar, he won't mind."

"Hmm…" Kanda thought about the curious choice of words but let it slide. "Even so…"

"And today is my birthday, would you give me this present?" he felt Al shift arranging himself to sit on the floor between Kanda's legs, his owns coming over his to rest against Kanda's sides instead of the kneeling position he had before. It didn't seem like he had much of a choice.

With shaking arms, Kanda fixed the coat that had slipped off at the movements and gingerly laid his arms at the waist of the boy in front of him. Al tensed minutely before realizing that he wasn't being pushed off and relaxed again, snuggling even closer to Kanda.

"Thanks…" Kanda felt the smile against his neck followed by a soft sigh. He wished he had more strength at the moment if only to bring this body closer.

When he woke up next morning, the only physical proof of the boy was the coat covering him and the bandages. In his mind, that white hair and silver eyes that he thought could never forget. In his body, the warmth that would remain for days.

* * *

><p><em><strong>So… I wrote this short oneshot for Christmas that has nothing to do with Christmas but the day. Merry Christmas and I hope you liked it ^^<strong>_


End file.
